Stationary & Transportation FuelCell Applications

Mr. Ronald K. Ishii, Vice PresidentAlternative Energy Systems Consulting, Inc

First International Conference onEnergy Efficiency & Conservation

15 - 17 January 2003Conrad Hong Kong

What Are Fuel Cells?• Fuel cells produce electricity through

electrochemical reactions• Converts chemical energy of reactants (fuel and

oxidizer)• Similar to batteries but are continuously supplied fuel

and oxidizer• Unlike thermal generators (steam power plants,

engine/generators, and gas turbines)• Low voltage direct current electricity• Nearly zero air emissions

Fuel Cell History• Natural Fuel Cells

– Electric Fish– Galvanic Corrosion

• Gaseous Voltaic Battery Sir William Grove, 1839• Fused Salt Electrolyte, A.C. Becquerel, 1855• Hydrogen/Oxygen Fuel Cell, Francis T. Bacon, 1932

– Alkaline Electrolyte– 5 kW System Developed, 1959

• 750 W FC for Underwater Vessel, Allis-Chalmers1959-1963

• Space Programs, 1960 - today

Fuel Cell Stack Construction• Fuel cell stacks

made of manyindividual cells.

• Each cell consists of– cathode– electrolyte– anode– separator plate

• Thermal, electrical,chemical &mechanicaltolerances

Fuel Cell Power Plant SystemsGeneral Configuration

Fuel ProcessingUnit

Fuel Cell Stack

PowerConditioning

Natural GasMethanolTown GasBiogasOff-Gas

AirO2

H2 Rich

H2OCO2

DC Power

AC PowerElectrical Load

Fuel Cell Types & Performance

Type Electrolyte Operating Temperature

Electric Efficiency

(LHV)Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC)

Potassium Hydroxide 65°C - 220°C 70%

(Pure H2)Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM)

Sulphonated Solid Fluoropolymer

80°C 40%

Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC)

Phosphoric Acid 205°C 40%

Molten Carbonate (MCFC)

Molten Alkali Carbonate 650°C 50%

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)

Zirconia-Based Ceramics

800-1000°C now,600-1000°C in

10 years

60%(Hybrid)

Market Demand (kW)

Pric

e ($

/kW

)

Remote Generation Applications

Power Quality, Reliability, UPS and Telecom

Military Power Applications

Large Stationary Generation

Automotive Engine

Commercial & Light Industrial Cogeneration

Rural Residential Generation

Baseloaded Residential Generation

Load-Following Residential Generation$1,000 -$1,500/kW

$2,000 -$10,000/kW

$800 -$1,000/kW

$600/kW

$50/kW

Fuel Cell ApplicationsPO

RTA

BLE

STAT

ION

ARY

TRANSPORTATION

$=U.S. Dollars

Source: PlugPower w/Modifications by AESC, Inc.

Fuel Cell ApplicationsSTATIONARY TRANSPORTATION

Stationary Fuel Cell Applications• Small residential or micro-application PEM

fuel cells– 1 kW -> 5 kW– Natural gas, propane, town gas

• Commercial combine heat and power(CHP) PAFC and MCFC– 50 kW -> 500 kW

• Industrial CHP PAFC, MCFC & SOFC– 200 kW -> +1 MW

• Distributed utility PAFC, MCFC & SOFC

Residential Applications

* Simple Cycle 1-5 kW Load Following* Natural Gas, Propane, Town Gas* Waste Heat Utilization

H2Fuel Gas

Air

Air

Fuel CellStack Exhaust

Inverterw/ ProtectiveSwitch Gear

DC

-

DC

+

Hot

Cool

Hot

Cool

Fuel Cell System

Fuel CellStackFu

elPr

oces

sor

BldgElectricMeter

3-PhaseElectric Power

Service

Fuel CellThermal Output

BldgService

Transformer

Commercial/Industrial CHP* 50 - 500 kW Base Load or Load Following* Natural Gas, Propane, Town Gas* Space Heating/Cooling, DHW, Process Heating

Distributed Utility Applications• DU is the deployment

& coordinatedoperation of smallonsite & “in-grid”generators, with loadmanagement.

• 50 kW - 10 MW fuelcell power plants

• Conventional &renewable fuels (land-fill gas, off-gas,digester gas)

Distributed Utility Fuel Cells

300 kW Hybrid SOFCSource: SiemensWestinghouse

3 MW Molten Carbonate Fuel CellSource: FuelCell Energy

Transportation Fuel Cell Applications• PEM fuel cells are primary technology

under development for vehicle power.• Bus & personal vehicle applications are

targeted.• Compressed H2, ethanol & methanol.• Fuel cell power plant cost goals more

aggressive than stationary (US$50/kW vsUS$1,000/kW)

• Power plant life shorter than stationary(5,000 hrs vs 40,000 hrs).

Fuel Cell Bus Applications

Fuel Cell Bus Drive System

40%

35%

50kW 100kW

Personal Fuel Cell Vehicles

Fuel Cell Vehicle Drive Train

• Critical Operating Parameters– Time to startup/warm-up– Miles between fueling– Acceleration

– Miles between maintenance– Maintainability

SystemController

Inverter and MotorController Motor Transaxle

Energy Storage(Battery or

Ultracapacitor)

Fuel Cell Stack

DC - DCConverter

MechanicalEnergy

Low VoltageLoads

AcceleratorSignal &

Feedback

Why Fuel Cells?

• Fuel cell electric generation isclean, no or little air emissions.

• Fuel cells are efficient. They arenot limited by Carnot theoreticalefficiency.

Fuel Cell Challenges toCommercialization

• COST– Fuel cell power plant capital cost currently too high.– Requires higher power density systems.

• COMPLEXITY– Fuel cell power plants are complex & require specialized

maintenance.

• FUEL PROCESSING– Reforming of natural gas & other “simple” hydrocarbons

commercial.– On-board reforming for transportation adds complexity & cost.– Direct hydrogen fuel cells require H2 storage & infrastructure.

Key Concurrent Events

• Advances in transportation fuel cells willaccelerate stationary applications.

• Stationary applications will deploycommercially before transportation.

• Recent developments in hydrogen storage(sodium borohydride & nanotubes) couldprovide “break-limit” for transportation.